Hundreds of parents meandered around SDA’s campus Wednesday evening for Back to School Night.

Before classroom visits, parents gathered in the new math and science building’s courtyard, where Shawlin Supreme and the Kick Back Boys roused the crowd, giving it a carnival-like vibe, according to science teacher Ryan Cardenas.

While some watched the performance and listened to new principal Adam Camacho’s speech, many freshmen parents stopped by booths promoting different student programs and avenues for campus involvement. Sports teams, Young Leaders in Healthcare, the Homeroom Olympics Committee, Band, Theater, Speech and Debate, and Robotics–which showed off a ball launching machine– were among the programs represented.

“We were trying to convey to the parents… we have a club available for helping to learn about the medical field and have fun,” sophomore Marley Jaoudi, a member of the club, said excitedly.

Then, parents dispersed, glancing down at their cell phones for direction, and attended each one of their child’s classes, giving them a sense of a typical day at SDA.

Cardenas was initially skeptical about the school’s environmentally friendly shift toward electronic schedules; he feared not every student would have texted their parents a schedule or that freshmen parents might be confused by homeroom being listed as sixth period.

But, after seeing his classroom packed each period, Cardenas said “Parents made it to where they needed to go on time….It was a lot of fun for me getting to see the people who are sending me their students every day.”

Silvana Gragossian, the mother of a freshman, said Back to School Night provided her with the opportunity to step into her son’s shoes. “It’s priceless… to see the teachers…and what their style is and what happens in the class. It’s really important,” she said after traveling to each of her son’s classes.

Cardenas mentioned that Back to School Night “reinforces the sense of community that this school is all about….Parents get to come here and meet the people who care about [and teach] their kids and the people who are with their kids every single day,” he said.

Cardenas added that he was eager to alleviate concerns parents may have about their child’s classes and workload: “It gives me a chance to tell the parents my intentions as a teacher and hopefully [eliminate] some of their nerves about their student being in an AP class or a science class. And, that’s important, just so the parents kind of know what to expect, and they know that they can reach out if they ever need anything.”